With today marking the second anniversary of the coronavirus pandemic, it isn’t surprising that a pair of articles on the pandemic’s lasting impact were among the most read stories over the past week on BenefitsCanada.com. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Two years later: Canada’s DB, DC pension plans weathering the […]
The average funded status for the largest U.S. defined benefit pension plans was 93.8 per cent in 2021, up from 86.2 per cent in 2020 and reaching the highest level in 15 years, according to a new report by Russell Investments Group. The report, which analyzed 19 publicly listed U.S. corporations with more than US$20 […]
The OPSEU Pension Trust is reporting a net investment return of 15.3 per cent for 2021, a result driven by strong private equity performance. In its 2021 funded status report, the OPTrust said its private equity portfolio generated a net return of 52.2 per cent. By comparison, public equities provided a net return of 12.9 […]
An article on British Columbia’s paramedics and their need for enhanced mental-health benefits was the most read story over the past week on BenefitsCanada.com. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. B.C. paramedics seeking enhanced mental-health benefits 2. Canadian pension plans overcoming legislation, governance challenges: webinar 3. Ontario’s DB pension plans should take steps […]
With Ontario’s defined benefit pension plans in their best financial shape since 2009, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario is advising plan sponsors and administrators to better prepare for the future. “They need a good sense of investment policies as well as how the plan itself may be affected [by different scenarios],” says Lester […]
The strength of equities was among the factors pushing the transaction volume of Canada’s group annuities market to a record high in 2021, according to experts. According to a recent report by LifeWorks Inc., the total volume of group annuities sold in Canada reached $7.5 billion in 2021, up 70 per cent from the previous […]
Nearly two years after the declaration of the global coronavirus pandemic and its subsequent impact on the worldwide economy, institutional investors are looking to the future with cautious optimism. Amid a recovering economy and rising inflation, pension plan sponsors are taking a long-term investment view and staying the course in the year ahead, while incorporating […]
Wall Street stocks are rising after three days of losses brought on by worries over the spread of the omicron variant and lingering concerns about rising inflation. On Tuesday, the S&P 500 index rose 1.5 per cent as of 1:10 p.m. Eastern. The Nasdaq rose 1.7 per cent. Both indexes were boosted by solid gains […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is recapitalizing an expanding packaging business. The institutional investor has signed an agreement with the U.S.-based Berlin Packaging, a supplier of glass, plastic and metal containers with annual revenues of about US$2.5 billion. Private equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners, which has been an investor in the packaging supplier […]
In the early days of 2020, no one could have foreseen the social and economic havoc the coronavirus pandemic would wreak on the world. Nearly two years later, as markets and economies continue to recover, Canadian pension plan sponsors are looking to their money managers to help light the way to a brighter financial future. […]